African Engineers: Dr. E Bamfo Kwakye
Many people were surprised when in 1975 Bamfo Kwakye was appointed Vice Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Before his promotion to the highest post at the university, Bamfo Kwakye had been Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Dean of the College of Engineering, but his academic status remained that of Associate Professor. Outranking full professors in other faculties, the appointment of Bamfo Kwakye seemed destined to promote jealousy and discord, but with hindsight one can see that he was a worthy successor to his distinguished predecessors and presided over a difficult but significant phase of the development of the university.
Small, dark-haired, with glasses and a small mustache, Professor E Bamfo Kwakye possessed a sharp mind that was partly hidden by a characteristic pause that often preceded his response to any question or statement, almost as if each new issue took him a bit. by surprise. With large eyes behind powerful lenses, Bamfo Kwakye had a look of permanent wonder. Though every inch an intellectual, his withdrawn demeanor befitted the role of a backroom scientist rather than a vice-chancellor. He may have lacked the presence and charisma of Dr. Baffour or the suave sophistication of Dr. Evans-Anform, but Dr. Bamfo Kwakye always knew where he was going and managed to accomplish most of what he planned.
Shortly after taking office, Bamfo Kwakye was given the task of drawing up a five-year development plan for the university. This plan was expected to include the establishment of a northern campus for the university in Tamale in the Northern Region. As an integral part of the north campus, the Technology Consulting Center (TCC) proposed to establish an Intermediate Technology Transfer Unit (ITTU), to help promote local small-scale industries such as ITTU to be established at Suame Magazine in Kumasi. However, by 1975, neither the Suame nor Tamale ITTU projects had attracted financial support and Bamfo Kwakye used the full authority of his office to support the TCC Director’s appeals to the Ghanaian Government and international development agencies.
After lobbying for support from the Ashanti Regional Administration, the Ministry of Industries, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and the Asantehene (King of Ashanti), the university finally secured financial support for both projects in 1979. The Canadian Agency International Development (CIDA) provided foreign support for the ITTU in Suame, and the ITTU in Tamale was part of a larger program supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Bamfo Kwakye presided over the formal inauguration of the Suame ITTU in February 1981, an event attended by four government ministers, the High Commissioner of Canada and other dignitaries, as well as hundreds of artisans who made their living on the largest informal industrial estate. ghanaian big Work in Tamale progressed more slowly and by the time the Tamale ITTU was completed and formally inaugurated in April 1988, Bamfo kwakye had retired as Vice Chancellor.
Bamfo Kwakye’s second major mission was to establish a medical college at KNUST. He again crusaded to win the support of the Ghanaian government and international development agencies. Kumasi’s Komfo Anokye Hospital was deemed unsuitable as a teaching hospital by the World Health Organization (WHO), and numerous issues were raised by members of the Academic Board and University Council, but the energetic and insightful vice-chancellor was not intimidated. Bamfo Kwakye had the satisfaction of seeing Ghana’s second medical school firmly established in Kumasi before he ended his term in 1982.
Bamfo Kwakye’s achievements would have earned him lasting distinction in the best of times, but these were, in many ways, the worst of times. Ghana’s economy was in varying degrees of difficulty during his tenure, and the years 1978 to 1981 witnessed four changes of government and three military coups. A defining moment of Bamfo-Kwakye’s vice-chancellorship came shortly after Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings’ first coup in June 1979, when the young air force officer addressed a crowd of several thousand KNUST students and staff. on the sports field of the university.
Standing on the roof of his 4 x 4 vehicle, the leader of the revolution asked the vice chancellor to accompany him. Never was Bamfo Kwakye’s look of surprise more evident than when he stood on top of that precarious position. He bravely endured the torment as his partner denounced the corrupt administrators and professionals who were said to be exploiting his authority in all public institutions, including the university. The sun was setting and dark shadows were stretching across the sports field, so the embattled vice-chancellor made good on lowering him to dry land by suggesting that the meeting should reconvene in the Great Hall.
Bamfo Kwakye was happiest when he had his feet firmly on the ground and provided a solid foundation for university. He maintained the identity and independence of KNUST through severe political and economic storms that included invasions of the campus by the military and miners from the Obuasi gold field, as well as an attempted takeover of the university by a Committee of Workers Defense (WDC). ). By succeeding in expanding and diversifying KNUST’s role in such turbulent times, Bamfo Kwakye ensured that his Vice-Chancellorship will be remembered with honor and be a source of inspiration to academics and students alike in more peaceful times.